I apologize to those of you who await the Daily Skywatch only to be disappointed not to have seen it lately.  Writing a daily forecast plus keeping up with the news is a greater task than I anticipated but as things calm down I will hopefully be able to get back to it.

The outer planets spend about 5 months in retrograde motion every year, and for the past thirty years or so, the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) have traveled retrograde during at least a portion of the summer months. The outer planets are also called “transpersonal” planets as they govern areas of life that are often outside of the boundaries of our personal experience. 

When planets are retrograde, their influence becomes more subtle; more internalized. It can be more difficult to achieve momentum in the areas over which the planet presides. It may be necessary to apply a greater conscious intention to areas of life ruled by that planet. When all three outer planets retrograde at once we are often forced to perfect a part of our life that has been neglected and which is holding us back from evolving as individuals.

As June begins, Neptune has just turned retrograde along with Chiron. The two have been traveling together in Aquarius since February of 2009 and made their closest approach to a conjunction on May 26 before retrograding in unison. Jupiter will remain tightly conjunct Chiron and Neptune as well and will retrograde on June 15th to catch up to the other two. The three planets will remain within 1 degree of orb until the end of July, and their influence will continue into the beginning of August before they begin to separate (until they align once more in 2010). 

For many of us this event has opened up a call from deep within the soul for a life with more meaning and a greater awareness of our spiritual nature. Jupiter is still within range of the conjunction, helping to add flame to the spiritual fire. Not everyone will experience this triple conjunction the same way – for some it will be extremely painful; for some it will feel exhilarating and blissful, and for some it will be a roller coaster ride between extremes of sensation. 

Maintaining an understanding of the underlying nature of this planetary event will help to navigate this period with greater clarity. Chiron and Neptune are both soul teachers but they operate with different tools. Chiron is the teacher of wisdom; he opens up the inner doorway to retrieve aspects of our soul that have been lost or hidden from us for quite some time. Neptune reminds us that we are indeed spiritual beings having a physical experience on Earth; we are inspired to dive into the depths of our soul and connect there with the Divine seed that lies within our core being. In order to accomplish the lesson of Neptune, we must walk through the fire of the Chironic experience. 

Jupiter expands this process for better or for worse. If we are momentarily retrieving an old wound, Jupiter will open up the doorway for a more complete experience. More painful, yes; but also more effective. Once the healing process is complete we experience the joy of a total alignment between the body, mind and spirit and a blissful Oneness of being. 

When transiting planets aspect the triple conjunction they activate it in a variety of ways. On January 2 and for a few days before and after, Venus will harmonize with the conjunction which is likely to facilitate the potential in the conjunction to integrate a deeper wisdom into our lives. Venus is the planet of attraction, and in a harmonious aspect like the sextile which will be in force at this time there is a beauty and a creativity to everything that happens. 

A trine of Mars (action) to Pluto (depth and transformation) on the 4th will provide a few days of energy and focus that will help us to utilize the good energy that Venus has brought. 

The Sun will square Saturn on the 5th which brings us face to face with our responsibilities that day. We may feel more solitary than usual and more serious, but there is also potential on that day to accomplish a great deal and work towards our goals.

Venus enters Taurus on the 6th. Taurus is one of the signs ruled by Venus (the other is Libra), and for the next month or so we are governed by a love of fine and beautiful things and inspired by creative beauty. This is not a particularly good time to go on a diet, because Taurus loves fine food and Venus can be particularly self-indulgent in the signs of its rulership. 

Mars is also in Taurus now, and our drive and desire (Mars) is for stability, peace and pleasure (Taurus). Venus is aligned with Mars for much of the month, moving into a conjunction which peaks on the 21st. With Venus and Mars conjunct for much of the month, our social life is likely to be energized and even the homebodies among us will have a stronger desire for interaction with others.